This post is actually more appropriately titled "how I learn to cook wild rice". We hear the health benefits of whole grains often and wild rice is of course one of those much touted good grains. Growing up in a modern Chinese household, my idea of cooking rice obviously involves an electric rice cooker (fuzzy logic and all...hey that would make it an electronic rice cooker!). Cooking rice over a stove top is simply not done at my home. Who wants the uncertainty of stove top cooking when it is a task easily handled by the trusty rice cooker?
It was with much trepidation that I cooked my first batch of wild rice over stovetop. The instruction clearly said a water to rice ratio of 3 to 1. Sounds simple enough. The Mahnomin Porridge at Minneapolis' Hell's Kitchen opened my eyes to how delicious this grain can be so I was inspired to make my own version at home. However, for everyday eating, that was plenty of cream and syrup. I decided to cook the wild rice in almond milk for richness (without all the calories) and threw in emptied vanilla beans for good measure. This was where I committed the number one mistake of cooking from recipe. I didn't read the instruction to the end which clearly stated "drain the cooking liquid". I certainly wasn't about to drain away vanilla almond milk! Staring at my pot of soupy (abeit delicious smelling) wild rice, I came up with a good idea...oatmeal! With the addition of oatmeal, the porridge thickened up nicely to exactly what I was hoping for. Hooray for another healthy breakfast option!
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 emptied vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup raisins
- cream, maple syrup, toasted nuts to taste
Method
- In a medium pot, bring wild rice and almond milk to a boil. Add in vanilla bean.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes until rice is almost tender and split open.
- Add in rolled oats and raisins. Continue cooking until thicken, about 5-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately with a splash of cream, maple syrup, and toasted nuts for a more decadent taste.